Asus unveils the ZenWatch 3

Following the success of the ZenWatch 2, a great Android Wear device from last year, Asus has announced the ZenWatch 3 today in Germany.The new wearable sports a round design, and is 9.95mm thin, slimmer than the Apple Watch, and most of the leading Android Wear watches like the Huawei Watch and the Zenwatch 2.

The ZenWatch 3 is quite a looker with it’s fully round display, no flat tire to be found, and elegant styling. The casing is made from ‘jewelry-grade 316L stainless steel’, a more durable metal that Asus claims should withstand the rigors of daily wear. It is available in three finishes: Gunmetal, Silver, and Rose Gold. The watch’s case has a narrow, rose-gold bezel for a sophisticated look as well as three crown buttons, which provide quick access to frequently used functions, and the top button function is user customizable as well. Asus also plans to ship the ZenWatch 3 with over 50 watch faces, which can display widgets. There are two band options, leather or rubber, both in either brown or beige color.

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Specs-wise, the ZenWatch 3 packs a 1.39-inch AMOLED display with 400 by 400 resolution and 287 ppi. The display is covered with slightly curved, 2.5D Gorrilla Glass. Underneath the display is a new Qualcomm 2100 Wear processor, which is more power-efficient, using 25 percent less power than the Snapdragon 400, and Asus boasts up to two days of battery life. The 2100 also features HyperCharge for a 60 percent charge in just 15 minutes. Asus also plans to offer an accessory battery pack for those looking for even more on-wrist time.

“This is a powerful and fashionable new wearable that has evolved through years of close collaboration between ASUS and Qualcomm, and it leverages proven technology from two previous generations of successful smartwatches,” said Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President and General Manager of IoT at Qualcomm Technologies International. “We are excited that the new ASUS ZenWatch 3 is one of the first wearable products to take advantage of the new Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, bringing unique capabilities to ASUS customers.”

Asus also aims to have the ZenWatch 3 be a full-featured activity tracker. Coupled with more accurate sensors and IP67 water resistance is the new ZenFit app for fitness tracking that offers similar fitness tracking to the FitBit in terms of features. We will have to wait and see on most of these claims, but otherwise the ZenWatch 3 is shaping up to be a solid Android Wear device for the much-anticipated 2.0 update this fall.